Sugar before the Burn

only thing t

pad resting on her thighs. Pencil in hand, she let herself drift. Not in thought, but in sens

ded the

ant thinking, and

yn

on she couldn't name. And yet, every time her phone buzzed, her pu

quiet was good. Tha

ety was

ored since the first

that day, sitting under the

ing class

ith

ing Zayne agai

didn't

hat makes you feel like the center of the universe... un

like you're speakin

cause girls like us

a beat o

asn't just music. It was him-coded into lyrics, bet

a brow. "Yo

. That's th

na found a flash d

in, black drive taped to th

heart already p

ed it into her laptop.

you can'

licke

ered with spoken-word samples. It wasn't romantic. It was intimat

e bed, headphones

w what her sadness looked like, what her silence felt like. The lyrics weren't j

playlist was one

a

vo

i

eone saw the version of y

u look when you forge

in pri

it

ust that voice now echoing

see him u

tooth speaker, laughter echoing near the sculpture law

yn

he far wall, headpho

ost wal

mo

e loo

rything

he said, not nee

d

id you

ow things yo

tly. "I notice

don't no

They just

epped

tebook and patted t

na

speak for

in her silence. The part of her that was scared. The part that wanted

u do this?

wh

ls for girl

ut it didn't

trails. I sen

wh

imply. "But I never

. "So this

for people who want to win. I'm not here

t him then-r

sa

cr

th the surface. Hints of something brok

ing looks like to

rushing hers-not a full touch,

it looks like when someone finall

oat tig

e she was a moment h

th

isse

a secret unfold

hed. No

t r

n't pul

loud again and reminded th

r hands were

t herself in

at falling

part right befor

hone

Still b

Ba

. That mean